Emotional return for Janae Edmondson to Smyrna High, to resume classes Thursday
SMYRNA — Smyrna two-sport athlete and honor student Janae Edmondson will start attending classes at Smyrna High again on Thursday, just over a month after having both legs amputated after getting struck by an automobile in St. Louis on Feb. 18.
But she made her first appearance back at Smyrna High on Wednesday evening as the community honored her and her family in the "Light Up the Night" benefit.
Smyrna principal Sherri Southerland said Edmondson was anxious to get back to school and among her friends.
"That's the biggest part ... that love, that community, the friendships," Southerland said. "They Facetimed her, her teammates would visit her in the (intensive care unit). To be here, back home, at Smyrna, is what she wanted. We'll start her back (Thursday). We'll take it at her speed, her pace. And I'm sure that'll be full throttle.
"You see this young girl turn into this strong woman through something that would take anybody down, and she has just gotten stronger and stronger and stronger."
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"She said, 'I need my people, get back out and get in with everybody,'" said Rhonda Ross, MIDTN Volleyball director and the coordinator of Wednesday's event, on Edmondson returning to school. "She loves the social part of life. She loves people. That's why we thought this would be great for her."
Emotions ran high at the event, which was just 40 days after the accident. Community and school leaders, coaches and teammates spoke.
"Janae's biggest worry was that people would forget her and just stop coming around," Ross said. "What this event was for ... she's finished fighting for her life, but now she's got a fight for the mental and physical part.
"I hope that this would tell her how much she's loved and how much we're behind her and fighting for her just to have normal, too."
Edmondson, 17, a volleyball and basketball standout at Smyrna, was competing with her travel volleyball team in St. Louis on Feb. 18 and, according to the police report, was a pedestrian struck by a vehicle at 8:39 p.m. The vehicle that hit Edmondson had just been struck by another vehicle that, according to the report, violated a yield sign.
Edmondson had both legs amputated as a result of the accident and spent much of the past 40 days in a St. Louis hospital.
Among those who spoke were Smyrna volleyball coach Katy Bell, LifePoint Church students minister Ryan Garrett, Smyrna volleyball player Olivia Ward, Smyrna Mayor Mary Esther Reed, Fellowship of Christian Athletes representative Brian Harrell and Smyrna Town Manager Brian Hercules.
Garrett read a statement from the Edmondson family, who did not speak at the event:
"Our family was brought to a terrible tragedy on Feb. 18. It was the most difficult, unbelievable thing that could have happened. Though that time we had so many struggles that were just unimaginable, and we honestly didn't know how we were going to be able to do it day after day. The one constant factor that helped us was the outpouring of love and support from the community. We honestly could not have made it without it.
"It came from all over; from a text, an email, from a post on social media, from phone calls, and most importantly, from the prayers. Many days and nights, we found comfort in that love, and that was how we were able to survive. The prayers we received carried us through all of this. It still does.
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"At Christmas, we bought rings for the girls that were inscribed with the saying, 'If God brings you to it, he will bring you through it.' That's the truth. We couldn't make it on our own. Our path is still long and Janae has a hard journey, but with the love we will find a way.
"We cannot begin to express how thankful we are for all of you here and across the country that have supported us. Prayers are still needed for this new pathway, but if anything at all comes out of it is a renewed faith in humanity. Please keep praying for Janae and the rest of the family. We love you all and appreciate all the support, far beyond any way we could ever express."
After the statement was read, Edmondson and her family came out to a roar of applause as CeCe Winan's "Believe For Me" played and the crowd lit up a dark gym with flashlights from their phones.
Support for Edmondson has stretched far beyond Middle Tennessee. A GoFundMe Page that was set up after the accident has raised more than $800,000.
"As soon as the community began to hear about the tragedy that happened in St. Louis, people reached out and asked, 'What can I do?' The GoFundMe was set up for that reason," Reed said. "But people wanted to do more. Danny Brewer and a lot of others did a donation day here at Smyrna High. I've heard of people doing meal trains and helping at their house. We've seen it all across the Middle Tennessee area."
This article originally appeared on Murfreesboro Daily News Journal: Janae Edmondson returns to Smyrna High after losing legs in accident
